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00 Recco
Stemma di Recco

Liguria · Genova

Recco

A coastal town rebuilt from 90 percent destruction in 1943, known for IGP cheese focaccia and Pro Recco water polo.

Best time
Apr–Oct
By car
25 min from Genoa
By train
Station in the comune
Population
9,399

Known for

  • FOCACCIA COL FORMAGGIO

    Two thin sheets of unleavened dough sealing fresh stracchino; IGP since 2012, made only in Recco, Avegno, Sori and Camogli.

  • PRO RECCO

    The most successful water polo club in men's history, founded 1913, with thirty-seven Serie A1 titles and nineteen Coppa Italia.

  • REBUILT FROM 1943

    The Allies destroyed 90 percent of the town in 1943 because of its strategic viaduct; what stands today is postwar reconstruction.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J12°
  • F14°
  • M15°
  • A17°
  • M21°
  • J25°
  • J28°
  • A29°
  • S25°
  • O21°
  • N17°
  • D13°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in February at 14°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

Why come

Recco sits on a small inlet of the Golfo Paradiso between Sori and Camogli, fifteen kilometers from Genova. The town's viaduct made it a strategic Allied target in the second world war; the 1943 bombings killed 127 inhabitants and left the town to be rebuilt through the late 1940s and early 1950s, so the church, the bridge and much of the fabric standing today date from that reconstruction rather than before it. The focaccia has documented origins in the nineteenth century, well before the war or the IGP designation gave it formal status, and it is made in a small cluster of towns along this stretch of coast, of which Recco is only one, though the one that gives the dish its name.

Pro Recco's history runs on a separate track entirely, a club founded in 1913 whose record has nothing to do with the town's postwar rebuilding. What ties the two together is only the place itself: a small gulf town, destroyed and remade, that carries a nineteenth-century food and a twentieth-century sporting dynasty as its two claims to notice.

The Sunday letter

Recco is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Recco comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Recco in our articles

How to get there

From Genoa (GOA), about 34 minutes by car.

Florence / Pisa (PSA) is about 2 hours away.

By car from the centre of Pisa 1h 47m or Milan 2 hours.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming from Genoa, Pisa or Milan?

Coming by train into Genova Piazza Principe? Recco is about 31 minutes away by road.

Every town within reach of Genoa airport.

Recco, photo 1
Recco, photo 2

What to see

  • Santuario di Nostra Signora del Suffragio

    The campanile rebuilt on the site of the main church lost to the bombings is the tallest postwar bell tower in Liguria.

  • Golfo Paradiso seafront

    Small inlet between Sori and Camogli, with the Bandiera Blu beach and a short lungomare looking south to the Portofino peninsula.

  • Ponte di Recco

    The rebuilt railway viaduct stands on the site of the structure that drew the wartime bombings, and remains the spine of the modern town.

  • Monte Esoli

    Hill behind the town, walking trails into the upper Recco valley with views down the gulf to Camogli.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Recco fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

We recommend

Where to eat

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

  • Da ö VittorioRistorante

    Da ö Vittorio has one Gambero Rosso fork (75/100), a place on Italy's historic-locali register and a spot in the Michelin Guide.

  • ManuelinaRistorante

    Manuelina carries one Gambero Rosso fork (79/100), a place on Italy's historic-locali register, plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.

Signature dish

Focaccia di Recco col formaggioBread

Two paper-thin sheets of dough around molten crescenza cheese, baked until blistered, protected by IGP.

See every town in our catalogue with a dish of its own.

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

Living here

  • Population 9,399
  • Commuter belti
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Genoa, 34 min drive
  • Market day Monday mornings
  • Regional capital Genova, 25 min drive

Common questions

What is Recco known for?
Recco is a coastal town rebuilt from 90 percent destruction in 1943, known for IGP cheese focaccia and Pro Recco water polo.
Where is Recco?
Recco is a comune in the province of Genova, in Liguria, at 5 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Recco?
Genoa (GOA), about 34 minutes by car.
Can you get to Recco without a car?
Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
How long is the drive from Pisa to Recco?
About 1h 47m by car.
When is the best time to visit Recco?
Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Recco?
Yes. Mangialonga Nel Golfo Paradiso, Sagra Delle Focaccette Megli – Recco and Festa Della Focaccia, and 1 more we hold a source for. April is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Recco?
Santa Margherita Ligure, Andora and Diano.
How many people live in Recco?
9,399 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

  • Elevation: 5 m
  • Population: 9,399
  • Surface area: 9.77 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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